Suturing devices are commonly used for open and endoscopic surgical procedures that require the use of a suture to ligate, join, re-attach tendon to bone, or otherwise secure adjoining tissue. Many such suturing devices grasp the tissue with a jaw assembly and pass the suture through the tissue using a needle that undergoes deformation either when loaded into the device, or upon exiting the device. Many of these devices rely on super-elastic needles that must be replaced.
However, the use of needles that undergo deformation can present problems in that the needles often fail by breaking and must be replaced. On many occasions, the needle fails during the surgical procedure and must be removed from inside a patient, which causes added difficulty, time and cost to the procedure. The cost of replacement needles, especially those fabricated from a superplastic material, can be excessive.
Accordingly, there is a need for a suture passing instrument that may be operated in the manner similar to conventional suture passing devices but employ a pre-curved needle that does not experience deformation within the suturing device or during deployment of the suturing device. Elimination of the deformation of the needle can allow for a device with a fixed needle, that can optionally be reusable, which can result in a cost savings.
In view of the above, there remains a need to provide an improved suture passing device.